Andrew Tate: how Hutton Grammar and Tarleton Academy in Preston are tackling his influence

Tarleton Academy and Hutton Grammar have both held assemblies and lessons centred on combating Tate’s influence on pupils, particularly on teenage boys.

It comes as schools across the country reported concern over the influence the former kickboxer – currently on remand in a Romanian jail on human trafficking charges was having on their pupils, citing examples of misogynistic and violent behaviour. Tate’s influence has prompted schools to react with combatant measures.

Teachers at both Tarleton and Hutton have devised lessons specially designed to explore how the view Tate espouses on his social media platforms can have real and harmful consequences.

Who is Andrew Tate?

Andrew Tate is an American-British media personality, businessman, and former professional kickboxer, known for his misogynistic views.

He first gained media attention in 2016 when he was removed from Big Brother after homophobic and racist tweets were discovered, as well as a video of him reportedly hitting a woman.

Since then, Tate has grown a large online following, with five million Twitter followers, 223k Instagram followers and 36.4k followers on TikTok.

Tate is currently being detained in Romania on rape and human trafficking charges, alongside his brother Tristan, having first been arrested on December 29 2022.

How have local schools tackled his influence?

The Post reached out to various secondary schools across Preston and its surrounding areas, and whilst most did not want to comment, two schools were open about the work they had been doing to tackle misogyny and the influence of controversial figures.

What has been happening at Hutton Grammar School?

Andrew Tate first came to the attention of the school when a Year 7 pupil wrote about him in English, with the content alarming the teacher, and soon the wider influence of Tate became apparent.

Nic Lindsay, PSHCE/RSE Lead at Hutton Grammar, explained: “There had been instances where pupils had tried to spark conversations about him in various lessons. Those that were following Andrew Tate appeared to hold very outdated views of women’s role in society. That she should be in the kitchen and belonged to the man – views had gone backwards 60/70 years.

"Many boys were listening and talking about him throughout all year groups. The content of his rhetoric went against the sexual equality work we did in our Personal Development lessons (PSHE/RSE) lessons, as well other aspects of prejudice and discrimination, British values.”

Hutton pupils have one personal development lesson a week, and the school decided to dedicate one of these to Tate, allowing pupils the opportunity to discuss him in a controlled environment, closing down discussions in other lessons.

Nic said: “It was important that pupils had their voice and were allowed to discuss why Andrew Tate was a role model to them. Then we (PD teachers) unpacked some of his comments with the pupils to help them understand the concerns around what he was saying, highlighting sexual equality, protected characteristics, British values and we looked at the Hacket-Continuum of harmful behaviour.

“We also swapped female teachers for male teachers for some older classes for this session as it was felt the message would be stronger.

“We then encouraged pupils to critically think about what they are viewing on social media and this is an ongoing aspect of PD lessons moving forward.”

Following the sessions, Nic says pupils appeared to have a higher understanding about the concerns surrounding Tate’s rhetoric and were told no more discussions would be had about him in school.

What has happened at Tarleton Academy?

The school says although they had not seen any worrying behaviour, hearing Andrew Tate’s name in conversations sparked them to take action against his views.

Assistant headteacher Kelly Berry, who is in charge of the personal development programme, explained: “I don't think the students always understand the negative connections, and the links to misogyny, they see him as somebody that is incredibly successful and the worry therefore is that he becomes a role model. So when we saw him becoming incredibly famous, so to speak, and heard some of our students mention his name, straightaway, we tried to be as proactive as we could.”

They first held assemblies about Tate, discussing the non glamorous aspects of his life, namely the things he has been in trouble for, his controversial opinions, public feuds and the impact his viewpoints have. Whilst this sparked conversations with pupils, it allowed staff to unpick their misconceptions. Tarleton also introduced a zero-tolereance policy to anything related to Tate, whether it be his rhetoric, or the hand gestures he uses.

More recently, pupils spent a week in their tutor groups looking at toxic networks on the interent, such as incel groups. The advocacy group Hope not Hate held an online assembly for pupils, discussing how easily one can become involved in such groups and the negative outcomes they have.

Kelly added: “Our main aim is that our students have a wider understanding before they make any decisions for themselves so that we can tackle misconceptions and so that, more importantly, they are safe on the internet.”

What advice do these schools give to concerned parents?

Hutton Grammar’s Nic said: “Always try and talk with your child. Find out what/who they’re watching and listening to and why these individuals are attractive and inspirational to them and unpack that with them. The more conversations we can have with our young people, the wider the understanding for all parties.”

Kelly highlighted the importance of internet safety guides for parents, such as National Online Safety, and added “We need to make sure that, as parents, we talk to our children about what they're doing on the internet. We live in a day and age where children are in their bedrooms, on their devices, and we don't necessarily have a window into what they're looking into, so it's just trying to keep that dialogue open.”